Author: David Ellis

Don: The world in which we live and must function is governed by natural laws. In a general sense, natural laws control our environment. They have to do with causes—gravity, for instance; and their effects—falling apples, for instance. They can be predicted, and therefore they can be managed, Newtonian laws determines how physics work; economic…

Don: The story of Jonah is not really about Jonah, or about the Ninevites, or about the great fish that swallowed him. It is about god and god’s grace. Jonah’s first prayer, which occurs in the second chapter, teaches us as much about what is not good prayer as about what is good prayer. Jonah’s…

(Our group was honored today with the participation of Nafe, a visitor from Bethlehem and a boyhood friend of Michael who also comes from that famous town; and of Patrick.) Don: A discussion of the great prayers of scripture—the prayers of Abraham, Jacob, Hannah, Gideon, of Solomon for wisdom, David’s prayer of penitence, the prayer…

Don: What does it mean to live a life of prayer? The notion of living life as a continual prayer is common in scripture. In the preamble to the parable of the importunate widow (Luke 18) which we have been studying lately, Jesus says we should always pray and never give up. In 2 Thessalonians…

Note: When scripture is quoted, I usually copy from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) but in this discussion Don makes many biblical references apparently using the New International Version (NIV), so I have done likewise except where specifically noted. Don: The promise of the parable of the importunate woman is that god’s justice will…

Don: A few weeks ago, Jason raised with us the parable of the importunate widow, also known as the parable of the unjust judge, in Luke 18:1-8. It touches upon one of the building blocks for the “wall of prayer” or “wall of faith” we are trying to build to help us understand prayer and…

Don: To claim that one can penetrate the secrets of god, and know the works of god, and have his power at one’s beck and call is not faith; it is magic. God is not in our service; we are in his service. For primitive, unsophisticated, and ignorant Man, for innocent children, and perhaps also…

Prayer is both a journey and a destination. Intercessory prayer is prayer for someone else, though it can have a selfish secondary component. Petitionary Prayer is asking god for things one wants. Thanksgiving prayer is to express appreciation for something. Penitentiary prayer is to ask for forgiveness. Adorational prayer is to praise the glory of…

Jason: I found 25 passages in the gospels where Jesus prayed or made reference to prayer. Two of the passages stood out. First is the Parable of the Persistent Widow in Luke 18:1-8: Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,…